Highlights from a year of creativity, social good, and entrepreneurship
The year 2024 was filled with meaningful work, purpose-driven projects and partnerships.
From empowering young entrepreneurs and supporting food security initiatives to reimagining brands for tech and nonprofit organizations, this year showcased the power of purpose-driven collaboration.
Through Daniel Does Consulting, I had the opportunity to partner with organizations at the intersection of creativity, social good, and entrepreneurship. Whether it was refreshing the brand and website for Business in the Streets, crafting impactful stories for Seva Food Bank, or helping Curasion define the future of workforce innovation, each project brought its own unique challenges and rewards.
This year also included a refreshed brand for The Upside Foundation, the pro-bono development of #TechBiz4SickKids, and exciting speaking engagements like the Startup Canada Tour.
Additionally, I launched The Intersection, a weekly newsletter to share insights and connect with a growing community.
Outside of this, it was also great to see the growth of The Good Growth Company's community, hosting 19 free online sessions. The upskilling company supports non-profit organizations and purpose-driven businesses seeking to invest in their people to help scale their mission.
Read on for a closer look at some of the projects and initiatives from 2024.
Business in the Streets: Empowering underserved entrepreneurs
Business in the Streets (BITS) is a community-driven nonprofit that helps emerging entrepreneurs transform their ideas into thriving businesses through relatable, no-nonsense entrepreneurial training, mentorship, and funding.
This year, I supported BITS in refreshing their brand and website to align with their incredible mission of empowering young entrepreneurs. The project included:
Updating their brand identity to better reflect their approachable, supportive energy.
Redesigning their website to be more engaging and user-friendly for their participants and stakeholders.
BITS is kicking off 2025 with a renewed visual identity and messaging that match the impact they’ve been making for over a decade.
Upside Foundation: Reimagining a decade of giving back
This year, I worked with The Upside Foundation to launch a refreshed brand and website that reflects their growth and impact. The Upside Foundation enables Canadian startups to give back by donating equity to charitable causes. The project included:
Conducting consultations with board members, partners, and stakeholders.
Refining their messaging to resonate with growth-focused founders.
Revamping their visual identity and website to make their impact and opportunities for involvement clearer.
The refreshed brand has positioned The Upside Foundation to continue making a difference in Canada’s startup community.
Seva Food Bank: Sharing stories of impact
With food insecurity reaching record levels, working with Seva Food Bank has been one of the most meaningful projects of the year. Seva provides culturally appropriate food and support programs in Mississauga.
Our collaboration has focused on amplifying their impact through storytelling, including:
Updating and developing new written content of the website for better usability and SEO benefits.
Producing videos that highlight their programs, like youth workshops teaching essential culinary skills and seniors programs fostering social connections.
Creating relevant content for their website, social media, and fundraising campaigns.
These stories have not only helped Seva raise awareness but also inspired action within the community.
Curasion: Building the future workforce
Curasion connects top talent with forward-thinking companies to create a flexible, skills-based workforce. I worked with Tyler Dias to build a solid brand platform for this growing company, which rolled out this year.
This project’s key outcomes included:
A new brand platform, defining their mission, vision, and values to position them as leaders in workforce transformation.
Developing messaging including a new tagline, “Your future workforce, now” to encapsulate their vision.
Crafting cohesive messaging and a brand identity to drive their marketing efforts.
This project highlighted the importance of strategic collaboration in shaping an organization’s future, and the necessity of updating brand messaging over time to align both internally and externally.
#TechBiz4SickKids: Supporting precision child health
#TechBiz4SickKids was a special pro-bono project this past year, supporting a volunteer-driven initiative dedicated to raising funds for SickKids, one of the world’s top pediatric hospitals.
This initiative builds on the success of the #Tech4SickKids council, which raised over $9 million to support groundbreaking AI research. The new iteration, #TechBiz4SickKids, aims to raise $1+ million annually for the Precision Child Health campaign, Heal the Future. This campaign focuses on diagnosing faster, treating smarter, and predicting better.
For this project, I developed:
A fresh logo that reflects the initiative’s new name and vision.
A website designed to engage supporters and amplify their mission.
Supporting the amazing volunteer team behind #TechBiz4SickKids is always an honour, and I’m proud to have contributed to this important cause.
Speaking and Writing
Startup Canada Tour: Inspiring founders across Canada
One of the highlights of 2024 was participating in the Startup Canada Tour finale in Kitchener-Waterloo.
I delivered a keynote on Personal Branding and Founder-Led Marketing, showcasing how storytelling can drive startup growth. It was a great way to share what I’ve been speaking about throughout the year, and to connect with over 500 entrepreneurs and small business owners in-person.
As part of the event I also led a heavily engaged “Ask the Expert” table on go-to-market strategies.
These experiences reaffirmed my passion for empowering innovators and entrepreneurs.
The Intersection: Sharing reflections and insights
This year, I launched The Intersection, a newsletter exploring topics like growth, branding, and storytelling. It’s been a platform to share original ideas, reflect on key events, and connect with an engaged community of readers.
Since August 2024, I’ve sent one issue out every Friday.
You can explore the archives or subscribe at intersection.danieldoes.co.
Looking ahead
Overall 2024 was a year of meaningful collaborations and impactful projects. From supporting startups and nonprofits to amplifying stories of change, every project reminded me of the power of purpose-driven work. I look forward to continue making a difference through strategy, advising, storytelling, and creative problem-solving.
Thank you to everyone who was part of this year’s journey.
Daniel Francavilla
